Sticker-rod mousetrap



M. SHINSKI'E.

SUCKER ROD MOUSETRAP.

APPLICATION FILED MAY I Z. 1919.

1 3 1 7,229 Patented Sept. 30,v 1919.

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A TTORNE YS shoulder of said coupling.

* ED STATES PATEN onion.

MARCUS sHI'NsKIE, 0F coALmorrr, CALIFORNIA.

SUCKEB-ROD MoUsn'irrtAr.

T0 all 'whom it'may concern:

Be it known that I, MARCUS SHINsKIE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Coalinga, in the county of Fresno and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sucker-Rod Mousetraps, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to oil-well pumping Outfits, and particularly to the class of fishing-tools for sucker-rods, and more especially to that type of tools known in the oilfields as sucker-rod mouse-traps.

A common and well-known form of tools comprises an open cage adapted to fit and slip down in the well tubing and over the broken end of the sucker-rod string which is still attached to the pump plunger; and a gravity latch fitted within the cage, which lifts to pass over the sucker-rod joint or coupling, and drops back again to engage under the lower Upon thus engaging, the tool with its suspended suckerrod, may be withdrawn from the well. In

these I practice, the tool has several disadvantages.

The most serious, perhaps, is the tendency of the gravity latch to catch and bind on the sucker-rod coupling in passing over it and fail to'drop back to proper engagement under the coupling; so that when lifted, the strain is so unequal that the tool either slips or is itself broken in one or more of its relatively narrow webs or ribs which surround the latch-seat.

One of the objects of my invention is to obviate this difficulty by applying to said latch a positive spring pressure, in order to insure its return to engagement;and to this end my invention consists in the novel construction, arrangement and combination, of

the cage, the latch, its hinge, and its conended barrel or Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Sept 30 1919, Application filed May 12, 1919. seria'inoi 296,286.

Near its lower end it is formed with an opening 2 at one side, and with two narrow openings 3 at the other side. The base 2 of the opening 2 forms the major portion of the latch seat, while the bases 3 of the openings 8 form the seat for the'latch forks.

4 is the latch, consisting of a forked plate, flat on its lower surface and so shaped on its upper surface, that when the latch is lifted to a vertical position, this latter surface will conform in general tothe curvature of the cage and present no obstruction to the slipping of the tool in the well tubing. This latch 4 is adapted to through an eye or slot 4 of said latch,

This forms a simple and practical hinge,

and by" releasing the strap 6 the latch may readily be removed.

In order to render the operation of the latch positive, I apply to it, a spring 7. This spring is a relatively long strip, the upper end of which is secured by the screws 7 to the cage, substantially flush with its exterior surface, just above the apex of the wider opening 2. Said spring thence eX- tends downwardly in the median line of said opening, and its lower slightly curved end bears upon the latch and is guided in a groove 8 in the back thereof. The tension of the spring is such thatwhen the latch is raised to a vertical position it bears the latch, by passing broken, of the with greatest force, tending to positively force the latch down; and in this position, lying in the groove 8, it is flush with all exterior curvatures and presents no obstruction. The groove 8 in the back of the latch also acts, in conjunction with the spring lying in it, to hold the latch against undue lateral movement, thereby I supplementing the hinge strap 6 in limiting lateral play.

In practice, as the tool finds the broken end of the sucker-rod and the cou ling of said rod contacts with the under si e of the latch, which thereby lifts to pass said coupling, the pressure of the spring will prevent the latch from sticking or binding on the coupling edges and will when the cou pling is passed positively throw the latch down for its lifting engagement under the coupling. With this positive action of the latch, I have found in practice that my im proved mouse-traps do not break nor are they returned for repairs. v

In order to make the cage, when lowered, more readily find the rod and have less tendency to stick on the rod coupling, I incline the lower edge 9 of the cage to its axis, and I bevel at.10 its inner surface, as seen in Fig. 2. By slightly rotatin the cage, the inclined edge will slip off t e edge of the coupling and its passage will be facilitated by the bevel 10. V

The suspending stem 11 of the cage I intentionallv weld on that side of the cage in which lies the larger opening 2. This gives better balance to the whole tool; and in orderto afford a better suspension balance, I bend said stem inwardly toward the. axis of the tool, as shown in Fig. 2.

I claim:

1. A sucker-rod mouse-trap comprising an open-ended cage having openings in its walls, the bases of said openings forming seats for a swinging latch; a forked latch within said cage operating to and from said seats, said latch having a groove in its back; a detachable U-strip straddling and secured to the wall of the cage, the bight of said strip extending above the base of the wall Copies of this patent may be obtained for opening and engaging a slot in the latch to form a hinge therefor; and a spring member secured at oneend to thecage and bearing and fitting at its other end within the groove in the back of the lat-ch, said spring serving to control the latch and to hold 'it against lateral play.

2. A sucker-rod mouse-trap comprising an open-ended cage having one relatively wide opening in its wall on one side and'two relatively narrow openings on the other side, the bases of said openings forming seats for a swinging latch; a forked latch hinged within said cage, and operating to and from said seats; a spring member controlling said latch and normally holding it closed; and a suspension stem extendlng from the upper end of said cage on the same side as its larger opening and bent inwardly toward its axis.

3. A sucker-rod mouse-trap consisting of an open-ended cage having one relatively wide opening in its Wall on one side andtwo relatively narrow openings on the. other side, i the bases of said openings forming seats for i a swinging latch; a forked latch withinsaid;

cage, operating to and from said seats, said latch having a groove in its back; a detach able U-strip straddling and secured to the wall of the cage below its wide opening, the bight of said strip extending above the basev of said opening and engaging a slot in the back of the latch-to form a hinge for said latch; a spring member secured at one end to the cage above its .wide opening and bear- H ing and fitting at its other end within the groove of said latch; and a suspension stem, extending from the upper end of said cage on the same side as its larger openingand bent inwardly toward its axis. 7 I

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this, specification in the presence'of two subscribing witnesses.

Witnesses: 7' V C. L. STRINGER, R. W'. DALLAS.

five cents each, by addressing the Gom nissione r of Patents, Washington, I). G. g I a i MARCUS SHINSKIE. I 

